Railway-switch.



' No. 874,011. PATENT'ED DEC. 17, 1907.

J. s. JONES.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1905.

in: Maui": FEfIRS co., wnsmlycruu, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATE T oFFIoE.

JONATHAN SUMNER JONES, OF WEST BEND, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TONICOLL Y. HASLEY, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed May 13, 1905- Serial No. 260,222.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JONATHAN SUMNER J ONES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at West Bend, in the county of Palo Alto and State ofIowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification,

My invention relates to improvements in means for opening and closingrailway switches, and. consists particularly in improvements in themechanism shown in United States Patent No. 742,996, bearing date ofNovember 3, 1903.

To this end my invention consists in providing certain safety devices toprevent derailing of the car or breaking any of the switch actuatingmechanism where the switch is clogged, and consists in other improvedfeatures of construction hereinafter described and claimed. 7

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a'plan view of a section of a street railway track and branch trackand a switch with my improved mechanism arranged in connectiontherewith, the switch being shown in position to allow the car to passon a straight track Fig. 2 is an enlarged inverted horizontal sectionalview of a metal box designed for holding part of my improved mechanism,andFig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the box.

In the drawings 2 and 3 designate the parallel fixed rails of the maintrack, and 4 and 5 curved rails extending from the main rails to form aside track.

6 represents an ordinary pivoted switch tongue, and 7 and 8 are guardrails. Boxes 9 and 10 are sunk between the tracks and provided. withsuitable covers 11 and 12. A plate 13 is fixed in engagement with thecovers 11 and 12 and curved guide-bars 14 and 15 are formed on, or fixedto, the top of the plate to direct the lever arm carried by the car, ashereinafter set forth, into and through the open space between theboxes. An inclined plate 16 is sup orted below the covers under theinterme iate slot for the purpose hereinafter set forth. The cover 11 isprovided with a slot 17, a bell-crank lever 18 being fulcrumed under thecover at the inner end of said slot. Pivotally supported on the cover ofthe box is an elbow shaped lever 19 having link connection 20 with thebell-crank lever 18 in such manner that the two levers will be operatedjointly to turn the switch tongue 6 into openposition, one end of theelbow lever 19 extending across the opening between the boxes as shownin Fig. 2. The opposite end of the lever 19 is connected by a link 21with the underside of the switch tongue 6. The link 21 is formed with alongitudinal slot 22 to constitute a slidable connection with the switchtongue. The switch tongue is normally held in closed position by meansof a spring 23 surrounding a rod 24 inside the box 9, the rod 24 beingconnected at its outer end with the switch tongue, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having pivotal support 25 under the front platform 26 of the car is therearwardly ex tending arm 27 The arm is normally held in raised positionby means of a spring 28 surrounding a vertical rod 29 which has linkconnection 30 at its lower end with the arm 27 and at its upper endextends through the platform of the car. The spring 28 bears at one endagainst the bracket 31 and at its opposite end against a plate 32secured upon the rod. Having pivotal support 33 on the rear end of thearm 27 is a bell-crank lever 34 supporting a Wheel 35 at its lower end.The wheel lever 34 is held in normal position by a coil spring 36interposed between its for ward end and the underside of the arm 27.

Operation. Fig. 2 shows by full lines the switch in closed position. Asthe car travels forward upon the track the wheel bearing lever carriedby the end of the arm 27 will pass into the slot between the boxes,striking the end of the lever 19 and turning it into the dotted positionshown in Fig. 2 opening the switch. This operation will throw the lever18 upward through the slot 17 through the medlum of the connected link20. The levers are so connected that they will remain in this positionuntil the lever 18 is mechanically returned to normal position as by 7means of suitable devices, notshown, carried by the car.

The two essential features of improvement in the construction shown arethe s ring devices 23 and 36. The spring 23 eing arranged within the box9 will normally hold the switch closed without being in a position whereit can be clogged by dirt or struck by passing wagons, etc.

The s ring device 36 arranged in connecti on wit the wheel bearing lever34 will ordinarily hold the wheel bearing lever 34 in position toactuate the lever 19, but where the switch has become clogged so that itcannot be opened the spring 36 will give, allowing the wheel bearinglever 34 to ride over the lever 19, and thus prevent derailing of thecar or injury to the switch actuating mechanism.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a railway switch and car, means for actuatingsaid switch consisting of a rearwardly extending arm pivotally supportedunderneath the car, a spring normally-holding said arm in raisedposition, a bell crank lever fulcrumed u on the rear end of said arm andcarrying a w ieel at its lower end, and a spring support for theopposite end of said lever.

2. In combination with a railway switch and car, a chamber arrangedalongside said switch and formed with a slot parallel therewith, aspring supported within said chamber and connected with said switch tohold the same in closed position, a lever arm fulcrumed in said chamberand connected with said switch, said arm extending into said slot, and adownwardly extending arm carried by said car in position to enter saidslot and actuate said lever arm to open the connected switch.

3. In combination with a railway switch and car, a chamber arrangedalongside said switch, a spring su )ported within said cham ber andconnecte with said switch to hold the same in closed position, levermechanism supported in said chamber and connected with said switch, aportion of said mechanism extending through a slot parallel with saidswitch, and a downwardly and rearwardly extending wheel supporting armcarried by said car platform in position to enter said slot and actuatesaid lever mechanism to open the connected switch.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

L. A. MARTIN, A. S. FRYE.

